


Spymaster

by Threadbear



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bottom Severus Snape, Kid Fic, M/M, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Hogwarts, Post-War, Severus Snape Smokes, Wolfsbane Potion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Threadbear/pseuds/Threadbear
Summary: Former spymaster and one time headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Severus Snape left the house just once a week on a Tuesday.Wherein Snape wears tracksuit pants and smokes too many cigarettes and Lupin is into it.
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Severus Snape
Comments: 35
Kudos: 298
Collections: Harry Potter - Remus Lupin centric, Remus/Snape





	Spymaster

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea for a fic that was called Spymaster and was about nothing more than Snape lounging around his shitty house all day being depressed. That was it. I didn't mean for it to turn out as wholesome as it did.

Former spymaster and one time headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Severus Snape left the house just once a week on a Tuesday. He would change out of his tracksuit bottoms and put on slacks and a largebrown coat over top and walk to the bus stop at the end of the street to catch the 11 o’clock bus. The silent red brick chimney would loom large in the distance, presiding over Cokeworth like a spectre or rather, a gloomy reminder of more industrious times.

He got off the bus in town at the same exact stop, walked the 48 steps to the Tesco’s for his weekly supply of cigarettes and groceries then make his way to the Off-licence up the road where he would buy one bottle of the cheapest white spirit they sold. Then, making sure he wasn’t seen, he would put all of his purchases into a small shabby brown satchel he had spelled for this purpose. This would be one of the only magic conveniences he would use all week. He would always leave his wand at home.

Despite this being the only time he left the house of a week he did not look forward to Tuesday’s, nor did he linger or speak with anyone any more than was strictly necessary. If the man who ran the Off-licence ever attempted to comment on the weather or a particularly mentionable affair in the current days’ newspaper he would be met with a polite but dismissive nod of the head.

The rest of week, in his crumbling end of the row house on Spinner’s End, was spent sleeping late, then waking to a breakfast of two rolled cigarettes and coffee from the tin. Throughout the day he occupied himself with reading books from his meagre library or, more often, watching daytime muggle television while lying on his ancient grey couch wrapped in a threadbare robe. He would wait as late in the afternoon as he could manage to pour the clear liquor into one of the two mugs he owned and this he would usually drink looking out the window from his kitchen watching birds land on power lines or rain drops fall onto cement while chain smoking cigarettes. He was thankful for the row end house not for its lack of neighbours, for most of the houses on his street had been long boarded up, but for this small kitchen window that afforded him this singular pleasure.

Oftentimes at night sleep would not come and it was at those times most of all that he would wish for the convenient trappings of magical life in the form of a dreamless sleep potion, however he had neither the funds to purchase nor the means to make one. Though there were many horrors and regrets in his life to call upon the one thought that kept him awake most often nowadays was more pedestrian and commonplace in nature.

The level of comfort he currently enjoyed was paid for by the modest savings he had been able to amass during his years teaching at Hogwarts, where his only spendings had been his weekly tobacco and an occasional bottle of decent scotch. Though his current weekly outgoings were low, this wouldn’t last forever. Severus estimated he had less than six months before he would have to either find additional sources of income or starve. Perhaps several months more if he forewent the weekly fags and liquor but being that those were the only pleasures that life had to offer him he was of the opinion that he would rather starve.

It was on one of those endless repeating days (he’s almost certain it was a Saturday) that a rap on the door interrupted his forth consecutive cigarette. He put down his mug of liquor and carefully stubbed out the cigarette so as to go back to it after he sent whoever it was on their way. There could be no doubt the person was mistaken in their destination, however as there was hardly anyone else around for several rows of houses, who could they be after? Perhaps they were lost and had interpreted the unboarded windows and doors of his home as an invitation?

As a precaution he reached into a high kitchen cupboard and pulled down his wand which he stashed behind the waist band of his tracksuit pants, arranging his robe overtop but leaving it hanging loose exposing a stained t-shirt underneath. He exited the kitchen then crossed the cramped lounge to the front door and wrenched it open with a scowl.

Of all the people he had expected to see on his front door Remus Lupin had to be near the bottom of the list. Severus could do no more than stand there robe gaping, peering out through his over long black hair suspiciously at the man. Lupin appeared at a loss of what to say too, in any case he said nothing for what seemed like several minutes.

“Yes?” Severus said finally.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

In the kitchen Severus eyed him nervously as though he were expecting him to steal all the good silverware, though as he didn’t own any good silverware nor anything else of value he wasn’t really sure what he was nervous about, except that having Remus Lupin, werewolf, Gryffindor, and former (though short lived) work colleague, suddenly appear in his house made him supremely uncomfortable. Lupin still dressed like a scruffy becardiganed muggle professor, and he studied Severus calmly through black rimmed spectacles. His age and the stresses one imagines comes with monthly catastrophic bodily transformations were starting to show on his face and Severus imagined he could see his hairline had receded even farther up his forehead.

“What is it that you want Lupin?”

“Tea would be nice.”

Tea. The man wanted tea. He rummaged around in a cupboard and came up with an old box of black tea he didn’t even remember buying. He rinsed his other mug under the tap and threw in a bag.

“Milk?” He asked gruffly when the jug had boiled.

“Please.” Lupins voice was light and affable. That bland and inoffensive persona that Lupin cultivated had always given him the shits. Severus supposed he imagined it as a sort of foil for his violent alter ego, a way of allowing him to blend into the background and keep people at arms length at the same time. Perhaps Severus had just been jealous that Lupin had found a way of doing that that didn’t make people despise him.

He placed the mug of tea down roughly on his small Formica kitchen table and took a seat at his usual spot by the window, clutching at his own mug for fortitude.

Lupin took the hint and sat too.

“How are you Severus?” Lupin had always called him Severus, not Snape, not even Snivellus his despised nickname bestowed on him by Lupin’s (now dead) friends and Severus’s childhood tormentors. Though to him he had always been Lupin, said more often than not with an accompanying sneer.

“Did you really come here to ascertain my well being?”

Lupin shrugged. Severus fancied he could see the ghost of a smile at the edges of his mouth. “Alright then. You’re aware of my... affliction.”

“It’s not something one easily forgets.”

Lupin did smile then. “Yes you’re right. You might be able to imagine then that transformations without Wolfsbane are... incredibly taxing.”

“I can. Lupin why on earth are you not using Wolfsbane?”

“It’s become incredibly hard to find someone in this country who will brew it. And the potion itself doesn’t travel well so getting it elsewhere is out of the question, never mind the prohibitive cost involved in that endeavour.”

“Jesus Christ. Lupin before you debase yourself any further I will tell you that I have neither the means nor the capacity to brew anything, let alone something so delicate as a Wolfsbane potion. I wish I could say I’d like to help you but that wouldn’t be true.”

“Severus. I have a son. I am a single father. Surely you must guess why I need this so badly. If it were just myself I would not be bothering you. But I have come to you because as it stands, you are my best hope.”

Lupin had enough wherewithal not to appeal to him on the basis of his singular expertise nor that of their shared history. If he had done Severus might have shipped him on his way already.

“You need not continue to plead with me. I do not brew anymore. And even if I wanted to, which I do not, there is nothing to do it with. Would you have me brew your potion in my kitchen sink? I realise you were always decidedly average at potions but even you must realise that would be woefully inadequate.”

Severus took a steadying sip out of his mug. He wished he could relight his cigarette.

Lupin appeared to read his mind. “You’re welcome to smoke.” He said nodding at Severus’s half-smoked fag teetering on the edge of a dirty saucer. “It’s your house after all.”

He gave him a quick humourless smile. “Thank you for telling me what I can do in my own house Lupin.” But he lit the thing anyway using a plastic muggle lighter he kept for the purpose. He inhaled then cracked the window, blowing the smoke away from Lupin’s direction.

“Make me a list then. Everything you would need. And more that you do not but would like anyway.”

“No.”

“Don’t answer yet. Take some time to think about it. I’ll come back in a week.”

“Do not come back and the answer will still be no.” Severus said but on Tuesday he added a fresh box of black tea to his shopping cart and when he got home he threw out the old one. He was quite sure that it would have tasted like stale sawdust but Lupin would undoubtedly have been too polite to say anything.

On Saturday he stayed in bed until almost eleven then went through the motions of his breakfast with deliberate and forced nonchalance. He would not anticipate his visit in any way. With any luck he would have changed his mind anyway.

That day he did not watch anything on the television nor did he crack even a single book. He sat cross legged at his usual spot by the kitchen window, cigarette in hand, leg bouncing nervously, just thinking.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” He said finally and grabbed the notepad he used for his grocery lists from the top of the fridge and scribbled two dozen ingredients and brewing implements quickly from memory. How Lupin was affording all of this was anyone’s guess.

At just after three there was a knock at the door and Severus opened it. Before Lupin could speak, brandishing the list with a practiced flourish, he stuck it to Lupin’s forehead with the adhesive side and closed the door in his face before he could change his mind. He leant back against the closed door, chest heaving, listening to Lupin dally on the doorstep momentarily, then hearing a loud crack, he knew Lupin had disapperated.

The following week Severus cleared out the second bedroom at the top of the stairs. He never had occasion to go in there usually and it was dirty from years of neglect and thick with several layers of dust. He had cleaned and scrubbed by hand not wanting to remove his wand from the spot in the kitchen cupboard that it lived, and at first the disturbance of dust had caused him to stand with his head out the small window hacking loudly. He had unceremoniously shoved everything that would fit into plastic shopping bags and placed them in the large rubbish bin at the front of the house not daring to examine the contents too closely. Finally, he had gone downstairs and reached up into the high cupboard and marched upstairs with his wand. The tiny wooden framed bed had been stripped and this he transfigured into a small work bench. It was far from ideal, having no water source and limited space and storage but it would do.

He then shut the small window and left the room. Closing the door behind him, he went downstairs to the kitchen and stowed his wand in the usual spot. With shaking hands he pulled down his bottle of liquor and helped himself to a large mugful. After the second mug he stopped thinking of the contents of the bin at the front of the house waiting to be picked up by the weekly collection and just watched raindrops fall off the window awning on to the ground below plonk, plonk, plonk, one after another.

The full moon arrived on a Thursday night and Severus lay awake in his bed watching through his open curtains until the early hours of the morning.

Saturday morning came and went without issue and then, though he hadn’t known if there would be, there came a knock at the door, three strong, decisive raps.

Lupin looked yellow tinged and sickly, though so close on the heels of his transformation that was to be expected. He was carrying a large sealed cardboard box and his left hand was wrapped in a bandage.

Severus rolled his eyes. “I’ll make tea,” he grumbled and took the box from him and set it by the stairs. He brought them through to the kitchen and set about making one mug of sweetened tea. He thrust it in front of Lupin who was already sitting.

“Here, before you pass out.”

He found a pack of sweet biscuits that he didn’t think would be too stale and put that in front of him too. “Eat.” He demanded gruffly.

Severus sat and drank at his own cup and watched him eat four biscuits and the colour return to his face.

“You managed to find everything then?” He asked him.

The man nodded. “Everything you asked for.”

Severus eyed him suspiciously. “The aconite?”

“Yes.” He offered no more information.

“Lupin, it’s all the same to me if I am to brew with stolen ingredients but I do need to be informed of the matter.”

Lupin sighed. “I’m working at Hogwarts again. The Headmaster has given me an unlimited supply of the plant from the stores. As for the rest, I’ve purchased them myself.”

“I take it was a condition of your acceptance of the position?”

“It was.”

“Again.”

“Mm.”

“And why, prey, could you not impress upon the current Potions Professor with your demands as you have previously? I suppose _you_ are not the current Potions Professor?”

Lupin gave him a sidelong smile. “Severus perhaps you could take on a full course of teaching, brew enough potions for an entire school to function and manage the concoction of a highly complicated and time consuming potion every single month without mistake or error but I assure you, others cannot. And no, I’m not, as you well know.”

“Well that’s a relief.” Severus said. He would not smile at the man. He would not.

Lupin insisted on carrying the box up the stairs himself, even though Severus was perfectly capable, perhaps even more capable given Lupin’s current condition. As Severus had supposed the box was roomier on the inside than it appeared from without and as promised everything on his list was in there. He pulled out two brand new cauldrons of varying sizes that were clearly of very good quality. They would have cost him a small fortune. He had distinctly written 2 x affordable cauldrons on his list. There was no need for this extravagance.

“You will let me reimburse you for these.” He told him.

“Absolutely not. Speaking of which, have a think about what you want me to pay you for doing this. I’ll let you know that the going rate is very high so there’s no need for constraint.”

“Lupin, you’re not going to pay me. Fuck sake.” In reality it was a few hours work a month, the only real tax on his person was that he would have to forgo his daily drink during the week he would be brewing but he doubted Lupin could make up for that.

“In that case, some other way I can repay you then.”

“Like what?” Severus said with a derisive snort.

“I’m sure we can come up with something.” He said.

On Tuesday, for the first time ever, Severus missed his 11 o’clock bus. He had to take the 2 o’clock instead and there were more people and he had to sit very close to several of them which was the reason he always took the 11 o’clock in the first place. “Running a bit late are we love?” The lady at the Tesco’s checkout had said to him.

On Wednesday he had been so preoccupied preparing his makeshift lab that he had forgotten to take his afternoon drink and then it had just seemed too late to bother. What on earth could Lupin have meant? Did the man know what it had sounded like?

Lupin made what was becoming his regular appearance on Saturday afternoon. “There’s no need for you to be here.” He mumbled to him at the door but he left it open for him and stalked to the kitchen, expecting that he would follow.

“Just checking in.” Lupin said pleasantly, leaning against the jamb of the kitchen door with his hand.

“Well don’t.” He told him, wrapping his robe around himself protectively. “I suppose you’ll be wanting tea?” He tried to sound put out about it.

Lupin’s eyes creased in a smile. “Please.” He said and Severus couldn’t help but notice he looked fit and well. A nice change from last week, he tried to grumble to himself.

It was strange how Lupin looked at him, that steady, unwavering gaze. It was rude of him really. He should have him up about it.

The next Saturday Lupin did not arrive at his usual hour. Severus stomped about the house in a snit and poured himself as much liquor as would fit in his mug. Foolish of him to rely on a man like Lupin to keep to a schedule anyway, he was not so much a man as a beast. He supposed he had seen to his investment and now he would see him as little as was humanly possible within the necessities of their arrangement. It must be a source of considerable repugnance to him that the potion he needed so desperately would have him see that greasy old bat Snape several times a month. What had he been thinking in agreeing to this?

It wasn’t until he was most of the way through his second mug that he heard the unmistakable knock on the door that he had come to associate with the man. He wrenched the door open roughly and glared at him through his hair.

“I’m so sorry,” Lupin said, a bit out of breath. “Andromeda was late picking up Teddy. I was going to send an owl but by the time I could, it seemed just as quick to come.”

Despite himself Severus felt any anger he was holding drain out of him. It was only then that he noticed he still had his mug in his hand.

“Are you drunk?” Lupin asked. He sounded amused more than anything.

“I’m always drunk.” Severus spat, walking away.

“Not like this.” Lupin called to his back.

“Did you miss me?” He said to him in the kitchen, like he was genuinely curious. Severus almost spat out his drink.

“Stop being so…”

“So what?”

“Familiar.” He ejected. “We’re not friends.”

“Hm I know.” Severus wished he would quit with that smug knowing tone.

Lupin took the kettle from his hands and started filling it up with water from the sink. “I’ll make the tea. You’ll likely burn yourself.”

“Maybe we could have been.” Lupin continued, spooning sugar into his mug, his back to Severus.

“Excuse me?”

“Friends. If things were different.”

“If your friends hadn’t bullied and tortured me then tried to kill me you mean.” Severus said. He shimmied the window up as far as it would go then turned back to roll a cigarette.

“Hm. If I was less of a coward.” He said carefully, watching him.

“Spare me. I hated you as much as the rest of them.”

“Sorry, I suppose that’s fair. I wanted us to be when we worked together did you know that?” He paused. “That’s not quite true. I wanted to put the moves on you. I had just about worked up the courage when you…” He trailed off.

Severus blinked at him, unlit cigarette in hand. “I had no idea.”

“No, why would you? I of course had no clue of what you would have been going through then. Seems grossly naive of me now. I imagine me slavering about you would have been the last thing you needed.”

Severus lit his cigarette and willed his hands not to shake. The last thing? No, not that. “Why are you telling me this?” He asked, he turned his head and blew smoke through the open window but kept his eyes trained on Lupin as if anticipating sudden movement.

He shrugged and took hold of his mug of tea and joined him at the table. “Why not? A lifetime ago now. And I’m sick of secrets, aren’t you?”

Severus happened to agree with the sentiment but he wasn’t about to tell him that. “Next week come on the Sunday,” he told him before he left. “We’ll need to start your regimen.” The man would need to find appropriate care for his child every night that week, there was no need for him to come more than was necessary.

Brewing came back to him as though it had only been weeks rather than years. It was almost disturbing how quickly he took to it again. He flat out refused to say that it felt a bit like coming home, though he did have to admit that having something to occupy his mind did make the time go faster.

His little lab, while not at all comparable to his old dungeons, had certain charms. For instance, he came to enjoy the small window and the feeling of natural light on his face while he worked and the wardrobe made a suitably good spot for hanging plants and storing liquids corroded by light. And by the end of the week the flasks of strange smelling liquids occupying his fridge had become to seem quite normal.

Lupin turned up Sunday, then every evening after work as promised and he would drink down the foul liquid in great big gulps, grimacing at the after taste, then leave to go pick up his son who it emerged attended care on week days. On Saturday he arrived to drink the last of the potion then disappeared before sundown to wherever he went during this time. Severus had not asked though Lupin did inform him that Teddy would be at his grandmother’s for the night in a somewhat defensive tone that betrayed that he was used to having to explain that part of his life to outsiders. Severus wondered how hard Lupin had had to have fought to keep his son after the war that had claimed his child’s mother.

He thinks of Minerva, she would have had to fight too, to offer Lupin his place at Hogwarts, no doubt it wouldn’t have been easy. She was a worthy successor to Dumbledore, unlike himself, and at times he even missed her friendship but that had been claimed too, by the war.

A week went by in the usual fashion and on Saturday afternoon there he is again, in his kitchen, drinking the tea that was now a staple in his house. He had even bought more varietals in case Lupin preferred something different on occasion. 

“Well?” He demanded. “How was it?”

“Wonderful.” Lupin said, though that must be an exaggeration. He looked him over. “You're very good aren’t you?” He said.

He didn’t have it in him to stop himself rolling his eyes.

“No I know you don’t like being complemented but I had forgotten. How much better yours always was.”

Severus knew that already so it didn’t mean something coming from him. It simply didn’t.

On Tuesday he found that the previous week’s bottle of liquor was still almost full so for the first Tuesday in a very long time he hadn’t needed to frequent the Off-licence after seeing to his groceries. Waiting for the bus to come it had occurred to him how easy it would be to just bring his wand and Apparate home. He sniffed in annoyance, this was Lupin’s fault. Magic was a slippery slope. He had been quite content with his quiet, non magical life before he had turned up.

“Have you had a good week? What have you been doing?”

Lupin had bought another box full of ingredients for him and again had insisted on carrying it upstairs. He then had proceeded to sniff about and paw over his things cheerily in a way that made Severus uneasy.

Severus raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Drinking.” He snapped. “On Thursday I washed my underwear. And now here you are. Apologies it’s not more detailed I didn’t realise you’d be needing the particulars of my daily life too when I signed on to be your personal handmaid.”

He had been expecting one of Lupin’s patented bland, placating smiles but the man just fixed him with a shrewd and steady gaze.

“Fuck off.” Severus said looking away after he couldn’t stand to be looked at like that any longer.

A warm hand slid over the hand Severus was using to prop himself against the work bench. “You’re not beholden to me Severus, or anyone else.” His low, steadying voice made something in Severus’ chest loosen. He should pull his hand away.

“I know.” He said, and he had meant it to sound scoffing but it had come out sounding infantile. Why was he standing so close? If he would just step away he could think.

“Severus.” He said just once, like it meant something. It occurred to him then that Lupin was perhaps the only other person in his adult life besides his two dead masters that had used that name.

Then Lupin’s breath was against his face and his mouth slanting over his so naturally and there was nothing Severus could think to do except snatch his hand back and push him away roughly. “What the hell are you doing?”

If he had been more aggressive he might have been able to tolerate it more. Or at least have a frame of reference for it.

Lupin winced. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have. I’ll go. Should I go?”

“Yes.” Severus managed. “I should think so.”

Severus’ fingers gripped the edges of the workbench as footfalls echoed down the stairs and the front door slammed.

_Shit_ , he thought. _Shit shit shit_ , he thought again later as he rinsed out his hair in his small bath tub, and again standing in the supermarket isle trying to decide between brands of dish soap. _Bugger_.

By Saturday he had convinced himself he wouldn’t turn up anyway so he needn’t be so wound up about it but then at precisely 3 o’clock he heard the all too familiar knock at the door. He couldn’t decide if he was more pleased or terrified. He opened the door for him then flounced into the kitchen in a flourish of house coat leaving Lupin standing hesitantly on the doorstep.

Severus backed himself into the kitchen table and eye balled him as he entered.

“I think I need to say I’m sorry for what happened last weekend. I should have known it was unwelcome. I don’t get out much if that excuses anything.”

Severus nodded impatiently. “Mm hm, yes yes fine. Try it again.”

Lupin cocked his head quizzically, studying him.

“Try it again please Lupin.” Before he changed his damn mind.

The look on Lupin’s face was neither bland nor polite. He raised his chin and peered down his nose at him with a wicked smile playing on his lips. He walked over cautiously and slid his arm around Severus’s waist then, slowly, he dipped his head down to meet his mouth, like he was giving him a chance to back out. Severus didn’t though. Just like riding a broom. He thought he would have forgotten how. Lupin kissed slowly, languidly like he had nowhere else to be. It was a first for Severus. “Is this ok?” Lupin said against his mouth, Severus hummed in ascent and Lupin kissed him some more. Severus didn’t think he’d just made out with anyone before. It was nice. He hadn’t thought it would be.

It took Severus longer than it should have to realise Lupin was terribly turned on like a tightly coiled spring, his breath was coming out in hard puffs through his nostrils and though it had been so long since he’d done this that he was practically a virgin again even he could tell the thing that kept jutting into his hip wasn’t Lupin’s wand. “You like this.” He breathed, disbelieving. Lupin huffed out a laugh, “Yeah,” he said. “I like this.” And something about the way he said it made Severus’ balls throb.

“It’s ok.” He whispered downwards, meaning his cock. His hands still gripped the edge of the table, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Lupin stopped trying not to poke him with his stiffy and just pressed it into him. “Fuck.” Severus swore, pulling his mouth off slightly. Dear God, it had been years since he had done anything this thrilling, or ill conceived. He realised belatedly that he was hard too.

Lupin kissed him some more and pressed himself to Severus and his chest felt hard and warm and comforting and _human_. Which was ironic given that he technically wasn’t. Severus had to remind himself several times that he was not to get used to it.

“I have to go get my son.” The words were mumbled against his lips, low and breathless. “Mmm.” Severus rumbled deep in his chest. “Off you go then.”

“You look... _astonishingly_ good right now, it’s terribly unfair.”

Severus could only stand there and try not to smile too stupidly.

The Saturday after the next full moon Lupin kissed him soundly on his terrible, musty sofa and pinned Severus into the cushions with what had to be the hardest cock he’d ever had digging into his thigh certainly. It was starting to get out of hand. They would make out from the time Lupin stepped through the door to the time he would announce he had leave, cheeks red, out of breath and sporting the world record of erections. How he got himself under control enough to meet his son and mother in law was a mystery.

“Do you miss your wife?” Severus asked, pulling Lupin’s face off him with a wet suctioning sound. They had sort of dispensed with the talking portion of their relationship so Severus’ comment was an anomaly to say the least.

“Yes, I do miss my wife. But I like kissing you too.” He tried to keep doing it but Severus stopped him with hands on either side of his face.

“Just kissing?” Severus asked.

_My lover_ , Severus would call him after that, in his head. My lover is coming today. My lover will be here soon. My tall, handsome lover who wants me. And who was hung like a flipping Hippogryph in case anyone was asking. Not that anyone was. It was a pity the only person he had to rub that in to was Lupin himself.

“You _excite_ me Severus,” Lupin has said to him that first time Severus had pushed down his tracksuit pants and underwear and desperately hoped that he would be enough for a man who could have much much more but wanted him anyway.

“Do you just fuck me because I’m making you Wolfsbane?” Severus asked him once, after Lupin had chugged back his usual flask full.

“No. I fuck you because you make me very, very hard. The Wolfsbane is a bonus though I’ll admit.”

“You always did have terrible taste.” Severus said mildly.

“I happen to think I have excellent taste.” Lupin pulled lazily on the drawstring of Severus’s robe, letting it fall open. Severus hadn’t bothered to put anything on underneath it after his shower and Lupin pressed his back to the work bench and worked his cock in slowly, so slowly until he was trembling.

On the full Lupin arrived in the afternoon and Severus could see immediately the coiled tension in his jaw and shoulders.

“You better bloody have a stasis charm on that potion.” He had snarled at him without even bothering with an hello.

Severus narrowed his eyes and nodded, he had. Though it was best not to keep it there for much longer. He needn’t have worried, Lupin hadn’t needed much time.

Severus’s clothing hadn’t stood a chance, the t-shirt had been bitten into at the collar, then ripped clear in two and pushed off his body with a snarl as if it had done something to offend Lupin personally. His pants had been pushed down unceremoniously and he’d been flipped over the arm of the couch and taken with no more than a gob of Lupin’s spit.

“Fuck fuck sorry.”

“Yeah you should be, you fucking animal.”

Lupin had tried to reach around to jack him off but Severus pushed his hand away. “No need.”

“You like your man fucking you?”

“Hmn.”

“Fuck Severus, are you mine?”

“Remus.”

“Can you say it? Fuck sorry, sorry, sorry about this - can you say it? Can you just fucking say it—”

“Yes I’m yours you beast.”

“Yes. I think if anyone else touched you I would probably kill them, oh shit - ignore me - fuck, _fuck_.” And he thrust in once hard as far as he could go and came with a loud groan as Severus saw stars and clenched around him helplessly.

That was simultaneously the hardest he’d ever come and the most he’d ever been apologised to in bed before.

Afterwards he had congratulated himself on the excellent judgement he’d shown in deciding to sleep with a werewolf. The man may be raving mad and Severus’s shirt beyond repair but my word was it worth it.

One Saturday Lupin sent word that Andromeda was unwell and unable to look after his son for the afternoon as was their custom.

Bring your son here Lupin, Severus had written back, I still want to see you.

After he had sent the note off with the owl he had panicked thinking that Lupin probably didn’t want to bring his son to his cramped little shit hole in the ass end of nowhere. He probably had standards for his progeny that he certainly didn’t appear to have for himself.

Turned out he didn’t however and there he was, small child in hand, in the early hours of the afternoon on his doorstep.

“This is Severus.” He said. “Can you say hi?”

The child simply hid his head in his father’s trousers.

“Sorry.” Said Lupin. “He’s just woken up.”

Lupin produced a series of small die cast cars from a bag and the boy sat happily on his fathers lap in the sitting room.

“I’ll make tea.” Severus said, drinking in front of the child was out of the question. “I’ve no idea what to offer for the boy.”

Lupin smiled one of those crinkly eyed smiles he was so fond of that made him look so damned handsome and pulled a lunchbox from his bag. “No need. I’ve come prepared.”

“Cheese daddy.” The child said.

“Ok munchkin.”

Severus went into the kitchen to prepare tea. Why on earth did he have the distinct feeling that he had never found the man more attractive. He didn’t even like children.

“I wouldn’t put those there sorry love. Not unless you want them all over your carpet.”

He should really tell Lupin not to call him those stupid endearments, particularly not in front of his son. He’ll have to remember to bring it up later, right now he couldn’t summon the energy.

“How old is the boy? Two?” Severus asked. He got out his wand and cast protective and sticking spells on the mugs that would only work on the child.

“And a half.” Lupin said, with a quirk of his lips. “Good memory.”

It hadn’t escaped his attention even at the time that the child had been born. It had been mere months later that the final battle had claimed the poor Black girl’s life and almost his own. Severus thought he wasn’t likely to forget that anniversary though outwardly he said nothing at all.

“You’re using your wand.” Lupin observed with an exaggerated casualness as he took a sip of tea.

Severus hummed. “Seemed easier than listening to you continue to scold me.”

Lupin did that look of his where he smiled purely with his eyes. He caught Severus’s hand in his for a moment and squeezed.

“Teddy.” Severus said. “I hear you have a cat.”

The boy looked up at him from where he was happily munching cheese and slices of pear off of the coffee table. “Cat.” He said. “I like cat.”

“Do you? Does cat have a name?”

“Cat!” He said and babbled a merry little story to Severus about said cat that he caught maybe two words of.

“He did have a name.” Lupin said. “It didn’t stick.”

“Want pear?”

“Yes ok.” Severus said.

“Here go!” Teddy said to him and reached over to him with a piece of pear stuck in his little fist.

“Thank you.” Severus said taking the proffered fruit. “Lovely manners.”

The boy grinned at him and took a bite. “Eat pear.” He demanded.

“Alright.” Severus said and popped the fruit in his mouth.

Teddy laughed at him and said _Pear yummy_.

He looked over at Lupin who was grinning at them smugly.

“Why are you looking so pleased with yourself Professor?” He asked.

“D’you know spells?” Teddy said.

“Loads.” Severus said with a grin.

“No.” Lupin growled.

Later Lupin’s shabby old owl showed up at his window. _Thank you, we had a lovely time. Though I did miss our usual Saturday activities_. His note read.

Severus waylaid the owl with some chicken so he could send a hastily scribbled note back with it. _I enjoyed meeting your son Remus. And so did I._

He imagined the stupid little smile that Lupin would have on his face when he read it.

The springs in Severus’s hard lumpy bed had just been creaking and now he had six foot of even harder, lumpier man draped over his chest.

“I’m squashing you.” The lump mumbled.

“I don’t mind.” He said and wrapped his arms about his back so he wouldn’t go anywhere.

“Gods, don’t let me fall sleep. Teddy’ll be wanting his tea soon and Dromeda frowns when I’m late.”

“Stuff her, she always was a judgemental cow.”

“Stop it, she was not. And that judgemental cow looks after Teddy every week so I can go have very gay sex with my unemployed former Death Eater boyfriend so you should be grateful.”

“You’re right, she’s clearly not right in the head. Do you think we should be trusting her with Teddy?”

“We.”

“Slip of the the tongue.”

“Why don’t you move in with us. Then I could cook for you both and make love to you into the small hours of the morning.”

“You really have no idea how old you are do you?”

“I’m serious. Let’s be a family. You could set up your lab in the spare room and sell potions by mail order.”

“It’s a charming, romantic dream Lupin. However that’s all it is.”

“Why does it have to be?” He shifted off and propped himself up by his elbow and started tracing patterns with his fingers on Severus’ chest.

“I’m perfectly fine as I am. You don’t need to save me.”

“Why not?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re not fine and neither am I. I miss you like hell when I’m not here. Why can’t we save each other? If anyone deserves it it’s us.”

“I drink too much. It’s not safe for the child.”

“You hardly drink at all anymore.”

“How would you know?”

“I notice.” Lupin was right and it rankled that he could know so much about him. It was so damned invasive.

“Mind your own business.”

“I hate to break it to you babe but you are my business.” Lupin said getting up and pulling his pants and jeans on.

“Is there anything I could say that would make you lose your temper with me?”

“Yes. You just haven’t said it yet.”

“Yet.”

“That wasn’t a challenge Severus.”

“You Severus’d me. Does that mean I’m in trouble?”

“I always use your name. I like it.”

“You’re a strange man.”

“So it’s settled then. You’ll have to pack. And we’ll have to decide on a date. I’ll tell Ted tonight he’ll be over the moon.”

“How much of what I say do you just ignore? Would you say about half?”

Lupin smirked and slipped his jumper over his head. “I love you.” He leaned over and kissed Severus on the mouth.

“I love you.” Severus said. “See you Thursday. Don’t forget.”

“As if I could.”

Severus Snape, former Death Eater and spy, now a father and partner to the silliest werewolf in England rose and dressed in black dress pants and a clean shirt and went downstairs for breakfast.

The kitchen was large and full of natural light with a large farmhouse table in the centre and warm with the scent of toast and freshly brewed coffee.

Remus handed him a steaming mug and Severus took the opportunity to pull him in by the waist and give him a lingering kiss.

“Good morning.” Lupin beamed at him. “You’re in a very good mood.”

“Hmm. I wonder why that is?” Severus said and kissed him again. Yesterday Andromeda had taken Teddy for the afternoon and they had spent the time making leisurely, unhurried love on their large sofa with the late day sun slanting over their bodies. Severus took a sip of coffee and recalled the feeling of Lupin’s cock pressing into him while he fucked Severus’ mouth with his big fingers and Severus sucked and drooled around them. “Are you sure you can’t take the day off?”

“Gods, I wish.” Remus said letting his eyes roam over Severus’s body. “I’m horribly in love with you did I tell you that?”

He had, many times. “Get up those stairs and get our son.” Severus said which was his way of saying if I didn’t have you both in my life I would die. He assumed Lupin knew that.

Teddy came downstairs in his father’s arms looking grumpy with one pyjama leg pushed up his tiny little calf.

Severus took him and set him at the table. “Oof, you’re such a big boy now.” He said and started preparing his breakfast.

“Do I get yoghurt Daddy?”

“Yes.” Severus said. “If you like.”

Lupin appeared with his bag and jacket. “I’m off my love’s.” He said and kissed them both on the cheek. Lupin would Floo to work and Severus and Teddy would have breakfast together then Severus would take Teddy to daycare.

“Are you picking him up today?” Remus asked.

“Yes, I’ve not much to do this afternoon so I’ll pick him up early. Some new clients are coming this morning to sample a Concupiscent but after that I only need to shop and start prep for next week.” He sat Teddy’s bowl of Rice Krispies and yoghurt in front of him and ruffled his hair. His range of aphrodisiac potions had fast become the lifeblood of their fledgling business and allowed he and Lupin to offer Wolfsbane to approved parties for practically nothing.

“Already. I’d almost forgotten.”

“No you hadn’t.”

“No.”

“I’ve finished the background checks on our new lycanthrope client. Nothing I’m worried about so she’ll go on our books.”

“Remind me again, just how legal are these background checks of yours?”

“It’s probably best you just forget they happen.”

“Plausible deniability.”

“Something like that. Don’t worry I’m singularly qualified. No one ever finds out.”

“Oh I don’t worry. Do you really need to go to the shops or can I Floo home at lunchtime so you can check me over?”

“I’m sure the shops will wait.” Severus said. “Come as early as you can, you’ll need a quite thorough vetting Professor Lupin.”

Remus grinned. “Daddy’s off then Ted.”

“Bye Daddy!” Teddy said through a mouthful of Rice Krispies.

Severus smiled to himself as he heard the Floo swoosh. This had been a good idea of Lupin’s after all. Perhaps he would even tell him that one day.


End file.
